Caitlin Whyte (Host): Growing up, I was always around the water. Not only did I grow up on a great lake, but I was on the swim team, taught swim lessons, and later became a lifeguard. But for those who weren't as aquatic as myself, it's always important to keep water safety in mind. Joining us today with some essential water safety tips is Dr. Ryan Planer, a Family Medicine Physician.

 Welcome to St. Joseph's Health MedCast. I'm your host, Caitlin Whyte.

Well, you know, Doctor, we're talking all about water safety today, and heading to the water doesn't always mean that you're trying to swim. So what are some water smarts or sensible precautions to keep in mind when you're around water, even if you're not planning to get in?

Ryan G. Planer, MD: Yeah, that's an excellent question. So again, our focus is on water safety and prevention of drowning, but really any activity near water, while it's fishing or barbecuing especially for younger individuals, children and infants, can be dangerous. So it's definitely how do our audience members or my patients safely interact with settings near water. Is that a pool? Is that at a beach or at a river or a lake, which we have many of around central New York?

Host: Absolutely. And what are some extra layers of protection that we should have when we're in and around water then?

Ryan G. Planer, MD: First is monitoring the environment. So before entering any water, try to get a grasp of how deep the water is and any dangerous things around the water or in the water. So are there waves? Is there a current that's visible? Any objects and if you're going to plan on jumping in or diving into the water, is the water deep enough to avoid injury from a shallow bottom?

Host: Mm, of course. Well, I've been watching the Olympics right now and we all can't be Katie Ledecky, but what are some swimming skills that everyone should develop?

Ryan G. Planer, MD: Yeah excellent question. So what I recommend actually are swim lessons. So because of, you know, multiple factors, so the COVID pandemic, global warming, which has led to algae at various public beaches, especially around here, or bacterial overgrowth; swimming and drowning deaths have actually increased over the past two to three years.

There's actually 4,500 deaths per year. The first thing that everyone can do is take swim lessons. Find swim lessons to learn how to safely swim and again, interact in water. Just doing that actually limits the risk or lowers the risk of drowning by 88 percent in some studies.

Host: Now how can we help each other out while we're around water? Is there anything we could do or should we find a professional? How do we navigate those situations?

Ryan G. Planer, MD: Yeah, so first I always say you have to have a swimming buddy. So for adults, definitely go swimming with friend that you can trust that will watch you. For other outdoor activities involved in the water, like tubing or water skiing or other water sports, always have a spotter and actually should be one spotter per individual on either the raft or skis or a tube.

And then watch duty. So definitely around any pool or body of water where there are children, an adult has to be on watch duty, not on their phone, not reading a book and definitely not drinking alcohol and watching those children. Because as we'll talk about, drowning can look very different than it is portrayed on television or in the movies.

Host: Well let's talk about that as we wrap up. How does drowning look different in different scenarios?

Ryan G. Planer, MD: The leading cause of death in children ages 1 to 4 is actually drowning. And then the other subgroup of that that I found kind of surprising is that the next age group is actually those 65 to 74 are the second most likely to drown if you look at just drowning deaths. But with 40 million Americans in the United States, not really knowing how to swim, drowning is, is a scary thing.

And It looks different than in the movies. So it only takes one to two inches of water; that's a bucket, a puddle, or in a pool for an infant or child to drown. And six inches to 24 inches of water can carry away a car. It can float an automobile and carry it away. So, imagine what it can do to just our frail human bodies at times.

Drowning, in most cases, can take only 20 seconds. And usually the person isn't flailing, isn't splashing, isn't, you know, making noises. They are silent and being kind of pulled under. So the, the appearance of drowning can be almost unseen by the casual observer. That's why we have to have people, either trained lifeguards or people on watch duty.

Host: Mm, some really good things to keep in mind. Well, Doctor, that is about all the time we have today. Is there anything else that we didn't touch on? Any last words of wisdom or advice just for people heading out to the water as we wrap up summer here?

Ryan G. Planer, MD: Again, I recommend swim lessons, but I also want to make a plug for CPR courses. CPR courses can also help with safety around many situations, including those with possible drowning. You can sign up on YMCA, American Red Cross, and other organizations locally for CPR courses and lessons.

Host: Thank you so much, Doctor, for these helpful tips to keep in mind when we are at the pool or lake or rivers this summer. Talk to your St. Joseph's Health care provider if you have any questions about how to keep your child safe around water. This has been St. Joseph's Health MedCast. I'm your host, Caitlin Whyte. Thanks for listening.